Liverpool's excellent 4-0 win at West Ham gives them a great chance of finishing in the top four. It came at a time when their season looked to be grinding to a halt.
Injuries were reducing Jurgen Klopp's options while an inability to break down defensive sides was becoming a major obstacle.
Meanwhile, rivals Arsenal had found their best form and were winning their games in hand in style.
What happened on Sunday baffled many as it was assumed there was no Plan B at Liverpool, and the manager's almost slavish devotion to his preferred system was constraining his team.
It's easy to be cynical and claim change was forced upon the manager. Roberto Firmino was declared unfit before Sunday's match and Daniel Sturridge had looked threatening as a substitute in the preceding game — a 0-0 bore draw with Southampton. The change was an obvious one.
Yet the solution to the dilemma was impressive. In recent weeks a midfield three of Emre Can, Lucas Leiva and Georginio Wijnaldum had looked to be all work rate and little creativity.
Pushing Philippe Coutinho back a little, the return of Adam Lallana plus two authentic strikers as opposed to three attacking midfielders suddenly gave the opposition a lot more to think about after weeks of the Reds looking pretty static. In the end, it turned out to be too much for Slaven Bilic's side to handle. It certainly helped Klopp immensely when Coutinho had one of those games when a rumoured move to Barcelona seems inevitable rather than far-fetched. Indeed, there were several references before the match to him playing in the "Iniesta role".
Consistency has always been the Brazilian's flaw. Critics of West Ham's defence bristled as Coutinho glided past numerous players to slot home Liverpool's second and third goals, but that doesn't give the goal-scorer enough credit. On a good day, he cannot be contained. The sudden emergence of a different way of playing and formation has given Klopp a great chance of emerging from this season with something to plant a flag for next term. Fans may well question why it took so long.